


Entangled Kisses

by snowzone5



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: AU, F/M, Kissing, Mileven, Some math and science, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:41:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24132232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowzone5/pseuds/snowzone5
Summary: This is a sequel to "Her Heart Loves His" Saying anything more would be telling.
Relationships: Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler, Maxine "Max" Mayfield/Lucas Sinclair
Comments: 26
Kudos: 8





	1. The Coillider Strikes Again

**Author's Note:**

> I have had this story/idea/notes for ages. Even before I wrote the one this is a sequel to. It fit perfectly for that, so here's my chance for more Mileven and some social commentary.
> 
> I had a blast writing this chapter and there are a few things I want to explore.

“I’m scared.” El said.

She and Mike sat across from Lucas and Max. “Me too.” Max said.

“You guys act as if it’s going to reverse everything.” Lucas was skeptical.

“I don’t want to lose El.” Mike said, “She will always be with me in my story, but me… _I_ will lose someone I love… for real, I don’t care what changes as long as I have her… and that’s not guaranteed is it Max?”

Max was shaking her head. “Nothing is guaranteed. And I can’t stop the experiment. Remember our lab is just piggy-backing on what CERN is doing. They are going to fire up the LHC regardless.”

“You talk like El and I are fictional characters,” Lucas said.

Mike looked at Max. “What are we going to do?”

“You said my love for Mike would keep me here?” El said, the tears rolling down her cheeks.

“I think it will keep you together, quantum entanglement and all that… I don’t know what form that would take. We are all just guessing. We are playing God here, and we probably shouldn’t be. The knowledge gained from the experiment will be invaluable, but the consequences… may not be worth it. So, I don’t know about you two, but I’m going to be kissing Lucas through the whole experiment. Just in case, and just because.”

El turned to Mike, “No matter what happens… I will find you. You won’t lose me. I already promised you Mike. Time to kiss.”

  
  


XXXXX

If Mike hadn’t been so thirsty, he would have fallen back to sleep. It was morning and it was… what day was it?

He sat up in bed and looked around.  _ Uh oh. This is my bedroom.  _

He saw the science-fair trophies. _Oh shit. I didn’t have any trophies, I wrote them in for the story. Shit. Did the collider put me_ in _the story?_ _Ok. Ok, that’s not the worst thing. I’d still have my friends. Hopefully including Max… and I’d still have El. I’d have even more time with her. If… only if they are both here._

Mike grabbed his supercomm. “Lucas? Are you there? This is Mike.”

“You forgot to say _over_. This is Lucas. Did you sleep in  _ again _ Mike? Move your ass, we’re all waiting here at the bus. OVER.”

“Are Max and El there? Um… over.”

“Of course they are. OVER. AND. OUT.”

Mike had never dressed or peddled so fast in his life.

  
  


XXXXX

Mike was scared to death to enter the bus. They were all waiting for him at the back. Except Suzie. Steve was there instead.

_ Ok. Maybe I don’t know exactly what part of the story I’m in. If there’s no Suzie, it’s probably the second part and not the third part, and… _

There she was. 

Eleven.

Her hair buzzed, with maybe just a little bit of growth, barely. She was looking at him with a smile… and those eyes, but then quickly she looked away, which was ok because he didn’t think he could continue looking at her. Not without crying. She was wearing a brown corduroy jumper. He was going to have a hard time keeping his eyes from her.

He looked at Max, who looked confused, and worried. “Hi Max.”

Everybody swung their heads to look at him.  _ Oh right, I wrote her to be a bit of a bitch, so this would be unusual for me. _

“Our saviour, the Paladin is here.” She mocked him, and covered for him at the same time

“Ok.” Lucas said, “Why did you call us all here.”

“I did?”

Lucas rolled his eyes. “Give him a chance,” Max said. And then all eyes were on her. That was unexpected.

Mike took a deep breath. “Ok, a little word association. I’m going to say some words. Nod if you know what I’m talking about. The lab.”

Nods.

“The demogorgon,”

Nods. “El took care of him and came back to us.” Dustin said. “Remember?”

“Yes Dustin I remember.”  _ Ok yeah, but he said she  came back to  _ us, _ not that she came back to me. I don’t think we are together here. I guess everything wasn’t going to be quite the same as my story. _

__ “Ok. Demodogs?”

“Been there, done that.” Steve said, “Is this going somewhere?”

“Gate closed? The Russians?”

“The Russians didn’t close the gate, El did.”

_ Ah, but she hasn’t gone to Chicago, her hair is still short. Ok, I think I can work with this. _

“So what I’m about to say shouldn’t be too crazy

“We’re waiting.” Lucas said.

“I’m from the future.”

“Who wins the NBA Championship this year?” Steve said.

“I said I was from the future, not that I was a basketball fan. That’s the game with the racket right?”

“You’re hilarious, Mike Wheeler. “ Steve said.

“You know of course, that it’s not just time travel right?” Dustin said.

“What do you mean,” Lucas turned to him.

“It has to be time  _ and _ space.” 

“Why’s that?”

“The earth spins about 460 meters per second. That’s about a thousand miles an hour. So the time it took it took me to say  _ per second _ the earth spun 1380 meters in  _ that _ direction.” Dustin pointed east.

“So even if you went back to that exact point in time. That’s not where we would be _in space_. But that’s not the least of it.”

“There’s more?”

“Do you know  _ anything _ about the way the solar system Works? Not only does the earth spin, but it also goes around the sun… at about 30 meters a second. That’s-”

“67,000 miles an hour.” Max said. Everyone looked at her again.

“Uh, Max is right. So you’d have to take that into account. To get to that spot in time. But there’s another twist… un, no pun intended. But the sun itself moves around the galactic core at about 220 kilometers per second… and that’s uh… uh… Max?”

“490 thousand miles per hour… give or take.” Lucas was now staring at Max.

“Right, so the earth’s actual path in space is more like who slinky wrapped around a pipe, not just through it, but in a spiral.”

“Two more movements to account for. The rotational spin of the galaxy, and the whole galaxy’s orbit or movement, to wherever.” Dustin said smiling. “Time  _ and  _ space.”

“You are getting math on me,” Steve said. “Stop it.”

“Hmm. Maybe only my consciousness did. From when I was older. What year is this?”

“Is he serious?” Steve asked.

Lucas said, “Mike, yeah he’s serious. But I don’t believe his shit. Do you guys?”

“But you believe in the Upside Down?”

That had the reaction Mike was not expecting at all. Everyone hung their heads.

“Ah shit. Will is still there isn’t he.”

El started to cry. “I think so.” Mike went over and hugged her.

“It’s ok, El. I’m sure you did all you could.” In almost a whisper, he said, “But you’re safe, and to me that’s all that matters.”

She looked at him confused and wide eyed, but didn’t say anything.

“Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt,” Max said.

“Why should we? Why shouldn’t I just go home and…” He was cut off by Max.

“Because I love you.” She said simply

Lucas was taken aback.

“And because Mike loves El so much he moved through time and space to be here. To be with her.”

El’s head snapped up to look at Max, her eyes still wet with tears. Max didn't think she understood what was said.

“And because all of us together, it’s only possible well, in part due to the LHC, but I can explain that, later, buy because… ah shit. Because Mike created you all for a story, and I know that because I’m from the future too.” 

She turned to Mike. “Sorry Mike, you took me along for that ride.”


	2. Madmax the Nerd

“Max, can we talk?” Both Lucas and El said that at the same time. They were all about to leave.

“Yeah, but you know. Maybe you should all stay and let Mike explain more. I can help explain more. I can help because… I know the story… I know Mike… I know you all a little. I know the science. Not the screwed up part, but at least some of it.”

“I’m not going to like this am I?” Lucas said.

“I don’t know Stalker. I guess it all depends on how much you love me. Remember when you tried to tell me about Will?”

Lucas looked down, “Yeah, you said parts were derivative.”

“I’m sorry about that. Reading Mike’s story about you guys has  _ really  _ opened my eyes what good friends were like. I did eventually see the demodogs. I’m a believer, Lucas. I only need you to listen. You don’t have to believe me. Friends Don’t Lie. Neither Mike or I have any reason to lie to the Party.”

“I owe you that. Go on.”

“I’m going to give you the TL;DR version.”

“TLDR?” Dustin asked.

“Internet slang for Too Long, Didn’t Read. This is the short version, you can ask questions if you need to.”

“El, I don’t know if you will find this upsetting… because… I don’t know….”

She nodded wide eyed, looking a little scared, but hopeful.

“Wait a minute,” Dustin interrupted, “Did you say  _ internet?” _

“Yes. You guys saw the movie  _ Wargames _ ? Think of almost  _ everyone _ , being able to connect, instead of a modem on a phone line it’s on your cable connection. It’s so fast that graphics and movies can be streamed. Whole memes and cultures come out of the internet. TLDR is just one of them. There’s a ton of them.”

“Like?” Dustin’s interest was keen, but Max wanted to move on to the explanation.

“LOL for laugh out loud. All kinds of shortcuts come out because texting needed to be brief.”

“Texting?”

“For fu- uh, let me continue. Remember Mike and I are from the future, I’m trying to explain how or why we got here, not what the future is like… and NO before you ask, still no flying cars.”

Lucas laughed. “You got screwed again Dustin, the future is not going to turn out like you thought. I’m guessing we didn’t get to Mars yet either?”

“We got into another war or two though, so some things never change.... Anyyyyyway, to continue on… Mike and I have been friends since seventh grade. I liked him more than he liked me.”

El looked even more worried than she had a minute ago. “It’s ok, El, our friendship was and still is purely platonic.”

“Plant… plant.” Mike came to her rescue.

“Platonic, it just means that she’s a really good friend. Nothing more than that… not a girlfriend or anything.

“It would be just like you and I, El.” Lucas said.

El smiled at him, “Ok.”

“I went off to university, physics major, and Mike started teaching here at Hawkins Middle. When his first book became a best seller, he moved to the big city, we ran into each other when I was looking for a new place to live, and we ended up getting an apartment together.”

“You live together… in… the future?” El said looking between Max and Mike.

“Separate bedrooms, El. Mike let’s me stay rent free, because the university pays for the bandwidth in our apartment.”

“Bandwidth?” Dustin again.

“Think of filling your tub with a firehose instead of a garden hose. We get information  _ very _ fast, can stream movies, that kind of thing.”

“CERN has been around for a long time, but they are making breakthroughs, just last year, 1983, they discovered the W and Z bosons. They built the Large Hadron Collider, and it went live in 2008. Yes Dustin, in the future.”

“So Mike has this idea of a group of kids searching for their missing friend. And a girl from Hawkins lab shows up out of nowhere and eventually… well… you guys know the story. You  _ lived  _ it.”

“Ok… um… this is where it gets kind of… um… uh…”

“What Max is avoiding saying is that, I fell in love with the character of Eleven.”

El’s eyes went even wider and even more beautiful than what Mike could have imagined.

“But to you guys she was a fictional character?” Lucas said.

“I know,” Mike said. “I can’t help the way I feel about her.”

“So how did you guys end up in the story then? The story by the way is our real lives here.”

“I’m getting to that,” Max said.

“The LHC...”

“LHC?” Dustin said.

“Large Hadron Collider. Dustin, try to stay with the tour ok? CERN fired it up for an experiment and the people I work for wanted to piggy-back on top of its operation. But I think they miscalculated or chose to ignore the Heisenberg principle… which is has been mis-explained a lot. Anyway, you can’t observe events at the quantum level without affecting those events.”

“I know what’s coming… so what happened when you did that?” Lucas said.

“Mike loved El so much, she was um… quantumly entangled to Mike.”

“She showed up out of thin air?”

“Well she was in Mike’s bedroom getting dressed for work, but yeah. She also brought her friends with her.”

“Ok, so the next experiment, Mike got quantumly entangled to El?” Dustin said, trying to wrap his brain around it.

Max shrugged. “Near as I can figure. This time he dragged me into his story.”

“Um, Max, can I talk to you for a moment privately. Let’s step out of the bus. I’ll be right back, El.” Mike said.

El was looking more confused than ever. Mike could see that her whole expression was hanging on the word  _ love _ that Max kept using.

“What is it Mike?”

“How old are you Max?”

“I think we are about the same age Mike, you know that… and… oh… shit.”

“Yeah, exactly, oh shit. We are two adults in teenager’s bodies… and… and… I still love her Max. Now seeing her again as I first envisioned… I don’t know what to do.”

“We can be kids again Mike, stop the future talk, and enjoy the time we have here. It’s all we can do. If nothing else ever happens, well, we’ll both end up with the people we love.”

“You’re not going to feel a little weird about it?”

“Of course I’m going to feel weird about it. It’s a little different for older women, younger men. Woman sounds like a cougar looking for a stud. Your situation doesn’t look good.”

  
“...but I love her Max.”

“In your case Mike, I know it’s genuine… and you… wouldn’t try anything.” Mike’s shocked expression was exactly what Max wanted to see.

They got back on the bus walked to the back.

“Is everything ok Mike?” El's eyes needed re-assurance

Mike sat beside her. He couldn’t quite look at her. He didn't think he could give her that re-assurance.

Max covered again, “We decided that we can’t risk the butterly effect and tell you guys anything more about the future. So don’t ask ok?”

Dustin grinned, “Right. I’m getting used to existing, so I’m ok with that.”

“If you shitheads are done, I have a job to go to.” Steve got up and walked out.

  
  


XXXXX

  
  


“Max said you loved me.” El’s voice was careful, like if she said it too loud it wouldn’t be real.

“I do. El.” 

“I love you too, Mike. And I know what you are worried about.”

“You do?”

She tapped his temple, “you are older than me in your head… “

Mike nodded, his head hanging down.

“Well I won’t tell anyone. But I want to hold hands with you… and kiss you. Will that be so bad?”

“I don’t know El. I really don’t.”

But he _did_ know.

He knew this just wasn’t going to work. He had never been so conflicted in his life. Trying to rationalize it in his mind wasn’t going to help. Sure, way back when, thirteen year old girls got married and started having kids. That was the way of the world at the time.

But El… he would never be able to bring himself to kiss her.

Quantum entanglement had given him a gift… and it had taken it away from him.


	3. Love Decides

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't have anything more. Once again, trying for a clean ending.

“What do I do?” Mike said to himself.

This was much worse than being alone. It wasn’t even unrequited love. It wasn’t exactly forbidden love. He didn’t think the party even took notice of that part. Only Max, El and himself really understood. At least El said she did.

But did she really? Girls tended to be more mature than boys that age, Mike knew that, but with El it was different. He’d  _ written _ her... different. Yes, she was fine when she showed up after the first experiment, but Mike was so grateful just to have her there that he didn’t look for any signs she was… damaged.

He’d gotten so depressed that he’d fallen in love with a fictional character. And one that young. How do you even explain that to anybody? He was sure that Max hadn’t realized at that time. He reversed his earlier thought, maybe she didn’t really understand now.

Maybe she could completely ignore their situation, but Mike couldn’t. 

He spent hours walking around.

“It’s not like we aren’t going to be friends. In a few years it wouldn’t really make any difference anyway.” Mike said aloud.

If she felt the same way about him, it seemed like she did, maybe her feelings weren’t as strong as his, but there was definitely something in the way she felt. 

He was done walking. He was done thinking.

He knew what he wanted to do.

More importantly he knew what he  _ had _ to do.

He was looking down at the water.

“Nobody is forcing you to jump this time.” It was El. “But I would still save you if you did. I thought I would find you here.” She stood in front of him, uncomfortably close.

“Sorry El. I needed some time to think. I-” She put her fingers across his lips. “Shh. I know. I need to tell you something… before you say anything more.”

“Max explained everything. Lot’s of things I didn’t get. The science stuff. I understood the important parts.”

“Mike. You know everything about me. You know what I had to go through, you knew that in some ways I had to grow up faster than other girls my age. In your story we eventually get together after a lot happens to us. But… here. Me. I think everyone thought we were together already. I got the talk from my dad, from Mrs. Byers, even from  _ your _ mom. You didn’t show any signs you liked me.”

“I didn’t?”

“No. I was sure you did… I’ve been so lonely.” El hung her head.

Mike was silent.

This was it. He had to make up his mind.

“You are scared to kiss me.” El said simply. “Let me fix that for you.”

She leaned in and kissed Mike. The way she kissed him after the first experiment.

When they pulled apart, she said, “You weren’t expecting that kind of kiss were you?”

“I love you El. Hell with everything and everyone else, I love you. Nobody has to know anything.”

“I hope you are ok with kissing like that. For at least a few years. That’s  _ all _ I’m going to do with you.”

“I understand El. I just want us to be together.”

“Then I am your girlfriend.”

It was that easy.

XXXXX

They walked back to the junkyard, hand in hand.

“Problem solved.” Mike said to Max.

“What problem?”

“The whole time shift thingie.”

“What  _ time shift thingie? _ Are you still going to be this weird now that you have a girlfriend?” Max looked at Mike and El’s hands, their fingers intertwined, El standing very close to him.

Mike’s eyes widened, he looked at El, she whispered, “I think the future Max is gone. It’s just you and me Mike.”

“Just you and me then.” Mike squeezed her hand, she smiled at him and squeezed back.

“Let’s go home Mike, it’s getting dark.”

As they walked home El said, “One more thing you should probably know.”

“Ok?” MIke was curious, but El was smiling and the way she looked at him with her eyes made his heart skip a beat.

“I live in your basement.”

“What?”

“My dad says I need… my friends, he worked it out with your mom so that I could just stay in the blanket fort.” El smiled and Mike. “Thanks for the blanket fort. I am warm and feel safe there.”

Mike grinned back. “I know. You didn’t want my room?”

“I want to stay in the basement… is that ok?”

“It was always ok with me… I was never sure about my mom.”

“I like your mom, she’s very nice to me. She’s teaching me to cook.”

“She’s an awesome cook.”

They held hands the entire way home.

XXXXX

  
  


“Hello sweetie.” Karen said to El.

Nancy smirked, “She’s Mike’s sweetie now, Mom. They were holding hands.”

Mike was shocked. Karen put her hands on her hips in mock anger, “Well it’s about time you asked her out. A pretty girl like El, needs someone like you Mike.”

Mike’s face started to heat up. In his  _ real  _ life he only had a little sister. He wondered if Holly was here, before he asked he went up to Nancy and hugged her.

She hesitated and then hugged him back, “You ok Mike?”

“I’m just appreciating everything I have, anything wrong with that?”

“No there isn’t, El has really mellowed you out, that’s a  _ good _ thing.” She squeezed him tighter, “Now go hug Holly so we know you aren’t faking it.”

XXXXX

Mike was sitting up in bed. He was enjoying reading comics. He surprised himself at just how much he was enjoying reading a comic again. If he got to be a kid again it wasn’t the worst thing. Mike had gotten older with more responsibilities, but he never really grew up.

There was a soft knock on the door. “Come in.”

El peaked her head in the door. “Aren’t you coming downstairs.”

“Is something wrong?”

“We always stay up late Friday nights and watch scary movies.”

“Oh! Ok.” He got out of bed and followed a relieved El to the basement.

It was just like he’d written it. Slightly different then it used to be, but the blanket fort was there as he’d imagined it.

El sat down and looked at the end of the sofa… she looked a little worried.

“Let me guess, I didn’t sit right next to you did I?”

She shook her head.

“Well, now we can cuddle... do you have a…”

She held up a blanket for their legs. 

“I’m not sure I like you reading my mind. All you are going to hear anyway is  _ I love you. _ ”

Once he sat down, El put her head on his shoulder and promptly fell asleep.

Karen found them that way the next morning.


End file.
